A success story: the business incubator Brazzaville

Objectives of the project

Congo-Brazzaville engaged BearingPoint to develop an incubator strategy to help nurture its young entrepreneurial ICT sector, identified as a key strategic growth area for the country.

What BearingPoint did

Rigorous research of incubators, born of specific national and international contexts, was undertaken. And extensive consultation with stakeholders, including universities, business representatives and public officials, also took place. Using those learnings together with BearingPoint’s expertise, a framework was created, and ultimately a site for the incubators was identified.

Key success factors

BearingPoint’s considerable experience working in Africa, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in particular, was brought to bear in this project. Critical, too, was BearingPoint’s specialist knowledge of African development and the emerging digital industry across the continent. BearingPoint’s methodology also set it apart.

Measurable & concrete results

For an incubator to be successful, it must have a physical site, attract private enterprise and yield economic benefits to the nation. Garnering state support is the chief prerequisite for all these requirements. BearingPoint clinched that support by showing how the government could stimulate the installation of incubators, and the way was paved for attracting and developing private companies.

In addition, at the time of the project Congo did not have any laboratories to speak of. Yet in collaborating with BearingPoint they were able to expedite the start-up establishment phase. Today there are over 34 recognised incubators in Central Africa.